Obituary of Bettie S. Yahn

Bettie Sue Yahn, 98, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, died peacefully at home on April 29, 2025 in the presence of her sons. She was born in Asheville, North Carolina in 1926 to William and Beulah Ramsey, the eldest of three children. She became a Christian at age thirteen. Her faith was the most important thing in her life and it sustained her through all her days. She met her husband, Raymond, in college and after graduation and marriage they lived in Philadelphia where Ray attended seminary. They served churches in Bridgeport, Connecticut where her children were born; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and West St. Paul, Minnesota.

Bettie was a lifelong nature lover, especially of birds and wildflowers seen on hikes. She had a deep appreciation of the fine arts such as classical music and was an inveterate reader of books, an appropriate pastime for someone who spent decades as a children’s librarian at several branches of the Dakota County library system. Her kind and thoughtful nature created many enduring friendships. Although she outlived most of her peers, she had many younger friends and served as a mother figure to some of them. She lived independently throughout her widowhood and made even more friends at the Orchard Path senior community where she spent her last years.

Bettie was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev. Raymond Yahn, and her son Mark. She is survived by her sons Stephen and Jonathan (Bryn), her grandchildren Adam (Shannon), Andrea (Scott), Collin, and Allyson, and her great-grandchildren Abigail, Andrew, and Reese. A memorial service will be on May 13 at Berean Church, 309 E. County Rd. 42 in Burnsville with visitation at 10:00, service at 11:00, and luncheon afterward.